moe. (July 01, 2010)

On Sale Now!

Via their transcendent live performances, their well-crafted studio albums, the thriving taper culture, and their unique events, moe. developed a vital relationship with a dedicated, everexpanding fan base. "There was never a moment,” Al explains, "when we decided 'Hey, people really like us - we need to capitalize on this!’ It’s been a very organic relationship that’s grown like a friendship. None of it was manufactured because of a contest or someone told us that we needed to capture e-mail addresses…and we’re not counting on our next single to maintain it.” With the release of Smash Hits Vol. 1 in the spring of 2010, moe. tackle that most predictable of career milestones - the greatest hits package - with typical irreverence and innovation. An informal poll was conducted, with the band members all chiming in with what they thought to be the group’s most popular songs - not necessarily their personal favorites, but songs that fans have reacted to strongly over the years. Then they asked the people around them - management, wives, webmasters, guitar techs, etc. - to make similar lists. The lists were then compiled and tallied, with all the votes weighed equally, and a track list emerged.

The members of moe. are approaching their twentieth anniversary with surprising nonchalance - not surprising, considering the casual disregard they’ve had for standard industry practices. They approach their career as a something still in progress. "There is not a set moe. way of doing things,” Al explains. "We’ve been constantly improving the design, to make the songs better, the shows better. We’re always tweaking every little aspect of the band - in terms of efficiency, of presentation, of the content. It’s a hands-on affair run by us, our family, and our friends…just the fact that we’re still doing it 20 years later is a testament that it must be ok.” "We have learned,” Chuck adds, "that our personality is measured more by what we do live. These songs have a life beyond the recordings and our fans are invested in that. They expect that we’re going to perform the songs a little bit different and they are going to evolve over time, which is tremendously liberating for us as musicians and songwriters.”
"Looking back,” Rob reflects, "there wasn’t any particular point where we went from doing one thing to doing another thing - it was ongoing. We’re still part of an ongoing evolution. Everything comes from learning from past mistakes and past triumphs. We aren’t trained: our manager didn’t really manage anyone before, our road crew didn’t do what they do until they worked for us. That’s how the band works.”